Brisbane Airport Corporation will construct a $1.3 billion second runway but its biggest customer,
Qantas Airways
, hasn’t offered to help pay for the project.

BAC chief executive
Julieanne Alroe
said while negotiations with Qantas are still under way, BAC decided to forge ahead with the new parallel runway, expected to begin operations by 2020.

“Qantas will come on board; we feel in good financial shape to proceed with the project," she said at the proposed site of the new runway.

“We will deliver this critical piece of infrastructure by 2020. It is a game-changing project for Brisbane and Queensland that will bring jobs, ­economic growth, tourist growth and value-added investment in hospitality, property, freight and maintenance."

BAC has signed a contract with Jan de Nul Australia to conduct the dredging and reclamation, which could begin in the next few weeks. The first phase is expected to cost $500 million.

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The new 3.3-kilometre runway, which will be the biggest airport expansion in Australia, involves dredging and dumping 13 million cubic metres of sand, which will take four years to settle. Construction will not begin until 2017.

Once complete, Brisbane Airport will have the capacity of major international airports such as Hong Kong and Singapore.

Qantas Domestic chief executive
Lyell Strambi
said he was pleased Brisbane Airport Corporation would build the runway, but Qantas did not believe it should have to help pay for it. “It is standard practice around Australia and the world for airport owners to invest in new infrastructure and for airlines to pay once the infrastructure is in use."

BAC has spent more than $1 billion on the airport in the past 10 years and was expected to spend another $2 billion over the next decade. It wants ­Qantas, the biggest user of the airport, to pay several hundred million dollars to help build the new runway.

Annual passenger numbers at Brisbane Airport are expected to more than double from 21 million in 2012 to 50 million by 2035.

Transport Minister
Warren Truss
said he believed Brisbane airport would be able to finalise negotiations with Qantas, the only airline not to sign up to new charges that can then be passed on to customers.

“It has been a real challenge to get the project to this stage but that’s because it’s the biggest transport infrastructure project since airport privatisation," he said. “I think it’s important all the major users pay their way. I’m sure customers don’t mind paying a few more dollars each trip to avoid circling the airport during peak times."